Of Secrets and Stags

"Alice!" Lily cried out as she hug/tackled her friend the moment she walked into the door.

"Lilz! It's so awesome to see you again!" Alice cried out, throwing her arms around her friend happily.

"Ow! What in the…?" Lily asked as she backed up and looked at her friend's hand, having been scratched by the engagement ring on her neck. She gasped as she looked at it and just gave her friend a wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights look.

"Um, well…" Alice began, trying to find an explanation.

"No need to explain! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!" Lily exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly once again. "Actually, I have a confession as well… Well, while you were out for Christmas break, me and James… kind of…" she began, trying to explain.

"You and James? Don't tell me you're going out!" Alice asked happily, a bright smile on her face.

"How'd you know?" Lily asked, dumb folded.

"I guess I can just tell. I'm happy for you, Lily," Alice said with a smile as she hugged her friend once again, this time a lot more sweetly and less in excitement.

----

Dinner that night was a normal dinner, yet the entire room radiated radiance from the groups of friends who had missed their friends over the break. The room was filled once again with loud talking and chattering.

Before the food was put out, Dumbledore stood up and began a small speech. This was unusual, as Dumbledore only gave speeches at the beginning and the end of the year. "Students, welcome back to Hogwarts. I hope you all have been studying over the break so that you wouldn't be rusty when you came back," he began, the familiar twinkle in his eyes, even though he knew that the mass majority of his students wouldn't have studied. "Well, I have a big announcement for those graduating—due to a request by the Head Boy and Girl, there shall be a graduation dance this year, so everyone be prepared. But, on a more solemn note towards those graduating—I hope you will all help in the war effort. Voldemort," he paused, waiting for everyone to finish gasping, "is getting stronger and stronger every day. Some of you haven't been touched yet, and may never be touched by this atrocity, or so I hope. But every day, someone has a family member or a friend, many like the ones you all are so happily talking to now, murdered by him and his followers. Keep this in mind the rest of the year, during your summer, and during the rest of your lives—all of you. Study, train the rest of the year and become the best you can be to protect those you don't know, yourselves, and, especially the ones important to you. Enjoy your dinner," Dumbledore finished, food appearing before everyone as if magically.

But there were no gasps of amazement or surprise as the food appeared before them. The room that was once radiating with warmness was now filled with uncertainty and worry. Few people were talking, and even fewer when unaffected by his words. Some of them were even crying, most likely the ones that had had friends or family murdered by Voldemort.

The Marauders, Frank, Alice and Lily were all silent, until Lily said in a strained voice, "He's right," simply.

"Of course he is…" Alice said, patting Lily on the back comfortingly.

"We… we all really should study harder…" Remus admitted.

"You already study hard enough, don't start that depressing stuff… We need to train harder is what it is…" Sirius said, comforting Remus and speaking his mind in one shot.

"We all… need to do both," James said seriously.

"How about we meet in the Room of Requirement tomorrow…?" Sirius asked, still intent on the 'training', not so much on the 'studying'.

"And in the Library the night after," Remus added, the complete opposite of Sirius' comment.

"Agreed," Lily and Alice said together in synch, while Frank and James just nodded in agreement.

"But… we won't get anywhere unless we eat," Remus pointed out and started serving his plate, despite his thoughts still heavy on his mind.

They all chuckled nervously and began piling up their plates as well, glad that the awkward talk was over with.

----

"Let's… take a… break…" Lily gasped, exhausted from the training. That night, they all paired up with others—Alice with Lily, Frank with James and Sirius, and Remus with Peter (only because Remus was the best teacher and Peter needed the most help).

"Agreed…" Peter said, his arm dropping limply to his side as he sat down. He conjured a cup of cocoa and sipped at it slowly as the others joined him.

"Hey, what do you guys want to do after the war is over?" Alice asked conversationally. Recently she had noticed that she didn't really notice much about the Marauders, and since they were friends, she had resolved to figure out.

"I want to keep being an Auror. Chances are, there are going to be a lot of Death Eaters, even after we kill Voldemort," James said bravely.

"Seconded," Sirius said.

"Thirded," Frank agreed.

"I want to teach… here. I like teaching—and, I'm sure, with Dumbledore around, he'll let me. Besides, Hogwarts has a great Library," he added with a smirk.

"As you know, Alice, I want to become a—" Lily began, before getting cut off by James.

"She wants to become a medi-witch for the war effort, instead of doing the more straight-forward Auror thing like most of us are," James said with a wink.

"Peter? What about you?" Alice asked.

"I… dunno… you?" Peter said, his gaze traveling down before looking up to ask his simple question.

"Me? I want to be a medi-witch, too, but after I do the 'Auror thing'. Me and Lily disagree about the best thing to do for the war effort," Alice said with a laugh.

"Well, let's keep going. We can't take breaks now!" James exclaimed, already having gained back more energy that he had had previously.

"Right!" Lily and Sirius said simultaneously.

Sirius stared at Lily before saying, "Aha! Lily and I are on the same wavelengths! Lily Evans, you were made for me!" Sirius said, grasping both her small hands in his large ones.

"Sirius…" James began threatening.

"Yes, James?" Sirius asked innocently, still holding Lily's hands.

At that moment, James conjured a newspaper and a spray bottle full of water. He rolled up the newspaper and began spraying Sirius furiously. "Bad boy! Bad! No! No no no!" James repeated over and over, repeatedly spraying his friend with the water bottle and hitting him with the newspaper.

"Ahhh noo! My hair is all ruined!" Sirius whined, attempting to run away from him.

"Not gonna work!" James yelled, shadowing his friend's agile moves and chasing after him, just close enough to be able to smack him on the head with the newspaper and the water bottle.

----

Lily and Alice lay in their beds next to each, having pushed them together to be able to talk easier. "Hey, Lilz…?" Alice asked, half-asleep, along with her friend.

"Yeah, Alice…?" Lily asked with a small yawn.

"What… do you think will happen…?" Alice asked uncertainly.

"About what?"

"Us. Our boyfriends. Our futures. What's going to happen?"

"I don't know. We could die, or we could live a fairy tale-like life after we kill Voldemort. It all depends," Lily admitted.

"How can you say that so easily?" Alice asked.

"How? How can I put it… I've got everything I need to die happy. I've got a best friend, who's seen all sides of me. I've got close friends I can be myself around. I've got a boyfriend I'm crazy about and I know absolutely loves me. My friends are happy. We all have dreams of the future. I can die happy, but I would definitely rather live in my fairy-tale world for as long as possible…" Lily whispered the ending, nearly asleep.

"Thanks. That's all I needed to know. I'm sure now…" Alice whispered before turning on her side towards her best friend and allowing herself to fall asleep.

A/N: Four more days until school! Yay! And the next chapter is the epilogue. –sigh- Heh, just means I'll have to make another one ASAP, eh? Review, please!